The world now uses energy at a rate of 13 TW. However, demand for energy will double by 2050 and more than triple by the end of the century. Petroleum as an energy source is unsustainable because it tied to global warming, the fact that it is mostly sourced from countries with unstable geopolitics, and the fact it is a finite resource. One alternative energy source is solar energy. Solar energy can be captured through electrolysis of water and stored in the form of energy dense hydrogen. One important aspect of the solar powered electrolysis cell is the electrode. Hematite is a suitable photo-anode due to its small band gap of 2.1-2.2 eV which enables conversion efficiencies of up to 16%. Furthermore it is also chemically stable in aqueous environments, widely available, and low cost which makes it attractive for industrial application. To optimize the use of hematite, it is deposited onto Flourine Tin Oxide (FTO) substrate at temperature 300°C, 400°C and 500 °C as a thin film by spray pyrolysis technique. The doping with impurities particularly tin (Sn) and silica (Si) is used to increase charge carrier density; onto a conducting substrate. The characterizations of the substrate for the addition of these two kinds of impurities were determined by referring to the morphology obtained from SEM, photo-electrochemical profile by using linear voltammetry whilst the structure was determined by using XRD.
